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Nobody’s expecting the Padres to be a contender this year, much less an economic stimulus factor. Lacking player talent, much has been made of the food and drink offerings at Petco Park. But what strategies are nearby bars and restaurants employing during a down year (measured both fiscally and by home-team won-loss record) to score some of their own patrons?

New f$5 food deals at Petco are fine -- lest you forget the $5 foot-long sandwiches offered a block away at Subway. After that, it’s all about the $3 beer, it appears. Some bar/restaurants offer food specials on Padres game days, but food bargains are mostly longstanding happy hour deals already in place.

At The Corner (10th & J Street), the Miller Lite drafts are $3 until 7 p.m. when the Padres are playing. East Village Tavern & Bowl (930 Market Street) sells $3 Coors Light drafts from Monday to Wednesday and $3 Bud Lights on Thursday through Saturday on game days. It’s three bucks for Coors Light at Tivoli (505 Sixth Avenue), and pitchers -- the plastic ones, not the ones that throw fastballs -- are $9 (even though that’s what the Padres would like to pay their pitchers).

The FleetWood (639 J Street) gets some sort of variety award for offering $3 Miller Lites, Coors Light, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Honey Brown drafts to pre-ballpark revelers. But they might want to review their Web site, which mixes this advice with an outdated Padres roster: “Make a reservation. We’ll save a table for you. That makes us the Trevor Hoffman of tables.”